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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,145 Likes: 3
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,145 Likes: 3 |
And your picies correct the actual DNA... what if they were to do something like decide that brown eyes were 'correct' and anything else was 'not correct'... Then everybody's favorite dating song would automatically be "Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison, right? The pixies (my spelling suggestion) have pretty good taste.
Life isn't a support system for writing. It's the other way around.
- Stephen King, from On Writing
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 527
Columnist
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Columnist
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 527 |
I prefer "Behind Blue Eyes" myself so I'd be sad, =P
Sara "Lieta"
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921
Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921 |
I thought I'd chime in here with something although it's been mentioned before - the impact on big pharma. Not that I'm an expert or anything, but I work for big pharma and my job is largely to speculate on the future, so I feel like I have more than your average understanding of what might happen.
The big effect I see is what Dandello mentioned - clinical trial enrollment. Honestly the forecasting we do is based on current sufferers, so it would take years to see it from that, but with clinical trials, your much more specific about who you'll talk to and so it would be apparent almost immediately. You've probably seen the articles on how many years it takes drugs to get to market - clinical trials on people tend to start 10-15 years prior to expected launch (years before that testing in the lab and then on animals). When enrollment is slow, we know immediately as of course, our estimate of launch is based on assuming we finish the trial at a specific time.
So, what I see happening is that for example all the drugs in my area are having enrollment problems. We're not sure what they are, though. But the same thing is happening to someone else and someone else, etc. Basically, it doesn't take too long to realize that all of our drugs are having enrollment problems.
I see this having sort of disasterous consequences. Those new drugs that Dandello mentioned no one responds to the ads for - well, it doesn't matter as we can no longer afford to air the ads since our pipeline is drying up and we need to tighten up spending. Even if we don't understand why at first, it sort of doesn't matter if we can't find people to test the new drugs on. None of the new drugs get to market and eventually big pharma dries up.
This has a short term impact on being good for health insurance - much cheaper to cover people if there are no drugs to give them. But of course, the problem is that when big pharma starts to go south, there are articles in places like the Wall Street Journal about why and people start realizing that they are healthier and so why bother with health insurance? Just pay for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (not sure if that's just a US thing).
Of course, on the "upside", this means there's no treatment for the 13% of the population that isn't immune to disease, and how can they afford health insurance anyway now that only sick people are opting for it - and I would think this is ex-US, too, since why would the government offer health insurance when so few people want it? With no treatments and no insurance, any illness that effects morbidity means that that percentage of the 13% dies out. Assuming your picites are genetically spread as well, this means that within a few years, the 13% has reduced substantially and all that are left are diseases that you can live with without treating. So, perhaps some people still have acid reflux, but cancer is gone.
While if this was happening, I'd definitely need to look for a new job, it sounds ideal. Although I do feel badly for the 13% of the population that is still able to get sick.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,864
Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,864 |
My earlier post made me look a little bit shallow, so I offer a secondary look at how twins are conceived. It all starts with two innocent people who pray, "Lord, help me to be more patient and humble."
On a more serious note, one thing you're talking about is taking consequences away from actions. This can be bad for everybody, regardless of which side of 87/13 percent line you fall on. Whether or not you sleep well enough, you feel fine. Whether or not you exercise, you feel fine. Whether or not you choose well or poorly, you feel fine. That's all fine and dandy for the short term but habits have a way of creeping into other parts of life.
Elisabeth
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,994
Pulitzer
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OP
Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,994 |
Originally posted by Lieta:
what if they were to do something like decide that brown eyes were 'correct' and anything else was 'not correct'...
Like I said earlier, with an entire state to develop a baseline, and modifications to that baseline continue to happen happen until all that is a 'normal' human is included. Things that are detremental to the baseline, like a messed up chromosone, will get fixed. There is nothing good or bad about blue vs. brown.
Left vs right is normal. Missing thumbs isn't. Originally posted by Dandello:
Well, if it's true that most deleterious mutations are due to single transpositions, the picies might look at that, or, more likely look at the overall effects of how a gene manifests and if it does no harm, then leave it alone.
Exactly. And in my universe, that is how all deleterious mutations are done, yeah...
... A perfectly healthy population would be a very good looking one - that 13% that's left out is going to be considered less attractive and may even have a hard time getting mates.
Well, yes, I could see that. But this is LnC and soulmates do happen. Originally posted by carolm:
For instance, one woman I know only ovulates every other cycle, but when she does ovulate, she double ovulates, so she's much more likely to have fraternal twins - or would the doodads 'fix' her too?
According to my beloved wife, double ovulation isn't all that uncommon. So...if both eggs are fertalized, then she's going to have more kids.
Carol Anonpip, thanks for your input. I am sure that I can use that information.
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